UNIT 12A EAST KAIBAB HUNTS

THE #1 TEAM OF GUIDES ON THE KAIBAB PLATEAU

ARIZONA KAIBAB 12A EAST

Kaibab Unit 12A East, or the east side Kaibab, is home to some tremendous trophy mule deer bucks and is home to some of the best trophy mule deer bucks in the state of Arizona. Trophy mule deer hunters that are lucky enough to draw a late season east side rifle Kaibab mule deer tag will get to experience a good quality mule deer hunt with trophy bucks in the rut and Boone and Crockett mule deer buck potential. Although many record book mule deer bucks have also been harvested in this Kaibab unit on both the early rifle and archery mule deer hunts, the premium late season rifle rut mule deer hunts in Unit 12 A East is where trophy mule deer hunters will experience the highest chances of success of tagging a giant Kaibab mule deer buck. Unit 12 A East on the Kaibab Plateau contains a lot of very rough mule deer country that is inaccessible by roads and requires a lot of hiking to get into. There is a lot of mule deer country in Kaibab Unit 12A east that does lend itself to glassing and spot and stalk mule deer hunting but, the majority of the best mule deer country in unit 12 A East is very rough, thickly vegetated, wilderness type country that can make hunting and locating trophy mule deer bucks very tough. This type of rough and remote country is exactly the recipe to grow giant mule deer bucks though and Kaibab Unit 12A east annually produces it’s fair share of giant mule deer bucks for the trophy mule deer hunters that are lucky enough to draw a tag in this unit.

RIFLE 12A EAST HUNT

The late season rifle mule deer hunt in Kaibab Unit 12A East is where trophy mule deer hunters will have the highest chances of harvesting high scoring Kaibab mule deer bucks.  Although many trophy mule deer bucks have also been harvested in this Kaibab unit on the early rifle and archery hunts, the late season rifle mule deer hunt in Unit 12A East is your best bet for targeting giant Kaibab mule deer bucks. The early season rifle mule deer hunts in Unit 12A East are much easier to draw than the late season kaibab deer hunts but the hunting is more difficult on these early hunts. Kaibab Unit 12A East does not receive quite the numbers of migratory mule deer bucks that the west side of the Kaibab generally does on an annual basis. For whatever reason, it seems that most of the trophy mule deer bucks that migrate off the high elevation summer country on the Kaibab Plateau tend to migrate to the west side. The migratory mule deer numbers and resident mule deer densities and populations that are found in Kaibab Unit 12A east are generally much lower than the west side of the Kaibab but, the east side sometimes produces the highest scoring trophy mule deer bucks that are taken yearly on the Kaibab Plateau. Kaibab Unit 12A east hunters need to be prepared to see lower numbers of mule deer than are seen on the west side of the Kaibab but be prepared to possibly encounter the giant mule deer buck of a lifetime.

UNIT 12A EAST EARLY RIFLE BREAKDOWN

10 day season with medium hunting pressure. Expect to see 150 – 165+. Very high deer density however mature deer are hard to find this time of year. Hunting in ponderosa pines and wide open burned areas with rolling hills and canyons, elevation is 3000 to 9,200 feet. Must be able to shot long range to take full advantage on this hunt.

  • Buck to doe ratio is 30:100
  • 80% successful harvest last season
  • 50 total tags for 2022
UNIT 12A EAST LATE RIFLE BREAKDOWN

10 day season with medium hunting pressure. Expect to see 170 – 180+ with a possibility of bigger. Low hunting pressure, hunting in ponderosa pines and burned areas elevation is 7000 to 3500. Long range shots very likely in the burned areas. Must be in shape and shoot longer ranges to take full advantage of this hunt.  Lower elevations will be cedars and sage flats with open meadows. 

  • Buck to doe ratio is 30:100
  • 73% successful harvest last season
  • 10 total tags for 2022 

ARCHERY 12A EAST HUNT

On the early archery mule deer hunts in Kaibab Unit 12A East most hunters focus their hunting efforts in the higher elevation forested country of the Kaibab. 90% or more of the trophy mule deer bucks that live on the Kaibab Plateau spend their summers in the cooler high country areas. The hot summer weather tends to congregate many of the trophy Kaibab bucks around the plentiful water sources that are found in the upper ranges of the Kaibab. If you can find a water source that is littered with big buck tracks be patient and focus you hunting efforts there. You never know just what kind of giant Kaibab mule deer buck might come in to visit the water hole you are hunting in Unit 12A East.

UNIT 12A EAST ARCHERY BREAKDOWN

This season is 21 days long with a high density of deer. You will find more deer in the higher elevations grouped up in bachelor herds. Spot and stalk in dense ponderosa pines with occasionally sitting water if not to wet during the summer monsoons will be your best bet. Ability to shoot at longer distances will increase success odds. Expect to hunt deer from 160 to 180+ 

  • Buck to doe ratio is 56:100
  • 25% successful harvest last season
  • 300 total tags for 2022

TOP 12A EAST GUIDES

The Arizona Strip Guides Team has decades of experience hunting trophy mule deer in Kaibab Unit 12A east. We will use our many years of experience on the Kaibab along with our vast amount of scouting time and resources to make sure that you will be enjoying one of the highest quality options that is available for premium quality professionally guided and outfitted trophy mule deer hunts on the Kaibab Plateau. The Arizona Strip Guides Team is one of your top choices for premium quality professional Arizona mule deer outfitters and Arizona mule deer guides for all of the trophy mule deer hunts that are available in Unit 12A East. Arizona Strip Guides LLC will treat your Kaibab Unit 12A East mule deer hunt as if it were our very own and do everything humanly possible to ensure that you will be hunting some of the highest scoring trophy mule deer bucks possible in Kaibab Unit 12A East. Please feel free to contact the Arizona Strip Guides Team of Arizona trophy mule deer hunting professionals at anytime to discuss your trophy mule deer hunt of a lifetime in Kaibab Unit 12A East.

  • Call us: Travis McClendon 928-300-6755